The communication is appropriate for unfamiliar audiences and appropriate media have been used.

Ensuring your report is written in a professional and clearly laid out manner that would be appropriate to give as a guidance document to the board of directors

D1

Use critical reflection to evaluate own work and justify valid conclusions.

Conclusions have been arrived at through synthesis of ideas and have been justified.

The validity of results has been evaluated using defined criteria.

Making clear recommendations for the use of OPT(4.3) using examples from different organisations

D2

Take responsibility for managing and organising activities.

Autonomy/independence has been demonstrated

Activities have been managed

Clear independent thinking process have been demonstrated and task has been completed in a timely manner

D3

Demonstrate convergent, lateral and creative thinking.

Ideas have been generated and decisions taken

Self-evaluation has taken place

problems have been solved

Effective thinking has taken place in unfamiliar contexts.

You will evaluate your report in terms of further reading and advancement for the board of directors.

Please note that for unit assignments Assessors should use these or other exemplar indicative characteristics for the individual grade descriptors from Annexe C of the HN specification or any other relevant indicative characteristics for the particular assignment. The indicative characteristic should then be contextualised. Only one indicative characteristic per grade descriptor, M1, M2, M3, D1, D2, and D3 is required.

Assignment brief

Unit number and title

Unit 17 Business Improvement Techniques

Qualification

Pearson BTEC Level 5 HND Diploma in Engineering

Start date

03/10/2014

Deadline/hand-in

19/02/2015

Assessor

Assignment title

Business Improvement Techniques

Purpose of this assignment

The economy of today’s world is driving companies to be proactive in reducing cost and increasing efficiency and quality in order to compete. The most competitive companies utilise a range of business improvement techniques to optimise processes and therefore reduce cost. This means efficient use of all workforce, equipment and suppliers.

Scenario

Renewable energy is an ever growing and therefore increasingly competitive market. You have been asked to run a project for a company called WindPowerLtd. Your role is to identify business processes improvements across the entire production lifespan of the turbine blade.

The company needs you to help them to identify improvements in key areas:

Lead time – Materials are either arriving too early or too late leading to a glut of stored material or the line having to be stopped as key parts have not arrived. They need to determine where the constraints are and understand the causes.

Set-Up reduction – The infusion process seems to be taking a lot of manpower and time. They need to determine what the issues are and have an alternative procedure for a new setup identified.

Maintenance – The maintenance across the facility is sporadic and therefore many operations are interrupted by regular breakdowns, this is also leading to the quality of the product to be unreliable. The company desire to enhance the volume of the production, employee morale and job satisfaction.

Optimised Production Technology – The board of directors would like to have a greater understanding of this approach to manufacturing.

The website below contains information on the manufacture of a turbine blade, your knowledge of manufacture is not being assessed in this assignment.

http://www.gurit.com/files/documents/4_blade_processes.pdf

Task

Your role is to prepare a professional report for the board of directors, demonstrating that you have evaluated a number of tools and methods in helping to find solutions to the issues identified in the scenario above.

You will show that you have gathered appropriate information and used analysis techniques to determine lead times, bottle necks, including a CEDAC diagram.

You will research and understand the infusion process and using set-up analysis techniques, suggest ways in which efficiencies can be made.

You will research and evaluate the TPM methodology and come to professional conclusions that can be given to the board of directors. You will also identify the countermeasures for chronic and sporadic

loss and explain the scope of TPM

You will research and provide an explanation of the importance of the principles of OPT and the aims of OPT using professional formatting that can be used to educate the board of directors, including recommendations for improvements to meet the aims of OPT. Using throughput accounting, measure the performance of the factory. You may be creative with the manufacturing numbers.

Extension task – You will evaluate your report in terms of further reading and advancement for the board of directors.

Achievement Summary

Qualification

Pearson BTEC Level 5 HND in Engineering

Assessor name

Unit Number and title

Unit 17 Business Improvement Techniques

Student name

Criteria Reference

To achieve the criteria the evidence must show that the student is able to:

Achieved?

(tick)

LO 1

1.1

Gathered appropriate information and used analysis techniques to Determine lead times

1.2

Determined bottle necks and constraints using frequency charts

1.3

Produced CEDAC diagram to determine the cause of one problem

LO 2

2.1

Used appropriate Set-up analysis techniques with the focus on the infusion.

2.2

Suggest improvements to the process

LO 3

3.1

Researched and evaluated the TPM methodology and come to professional conclusions that can be given to the board of directors

3.2

Identified the countermeasures for chronic and sporadic

loss and explained the scope of TPM

LO 4

4.1

Explained the importance of the principles and aims of OPT

4.2

Used throughput accounting methods and measured the performance

of the factory

4.3

Provide recommendations for improvements to meet the aims of OPT

Higher Grade achievements (where applicable)

Grade descriptor

Achieved?

(tick)

Grade descriptor

Achieved?

(tick)

M1: Identify and apply strategies to find appropriate solutions

D1: Use critical reflection to evaluate own work and justify valid conclusions

M2: Select / design and apply appropriate methods / techniques

D2: Take responsibility for managing and organising activities

M3: Present and communicate appropriate findings

D3: Demonstrate convergent/lateral/creative thinking

Evidence checklist

Summary of evidence required by student

Evidence presented

Task

A report written in a professional and formal style, including a contents page indicating the different report chapters and sections.

A bibliography with references must be supplied using the Harvard System of referencing.

An electronic copy of your work uploaded to boodle using the correct uplink and uploaded before or by the specified hand in date.